William Campbell Paroled from WV State Penitentiary

WV State Penitentiary 1910
Source: WV History on View

During the early 1900's, it was customary for the governor of West Virginia to grant a Christmas-time pardon to an inmate of the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville. Usually, this was the oldest prisoner in age and/or the prisoner who at that time, had served the longest sentence and was no longer considered a threat to society. I like to feature these pardons each December, but it's rare to come across a NON-holiday pardon (or in this case, early parole) of an inmate. However, I did stumble upon one such case from 1908.

In 1905, William Campbell, an African American from Summers County, was sentenced to 12 years at the penitentiary for his alleged role in a robbery that took place on a Chesapeake and Ohio train. He, along with several other African American men were accused of robbing three white men of $1.20 in cash, a watch, and a knife. The three white men were forced to exit the train at Hinton, and Campbell was later picked up in nearby Ronceverte. 

Despite the victims not being able to positively identify Campbell, they couldn't say he WASN'T there either, so he was convicted, all the while maintaining his innocence. 

Campbell was described as a model prisoner but was unable to do much of the hard labor usually assigned to inmates as part of their punishment. Instead, he spent at least two years almost exclusively in the infirmary with a terminal case of tuberculosis. In May of 1908, the warden of the penitentiary wrote to Governor Dawson, requesting an early release on behalf of Campbell. Campbell wasn't given long to live, and he had relatives in Washington, D.C. willing to care for him. The request was granted, and Campbell went to spend the rest of his days in our nation's capital. Unfortunately, due to his extremely common name and lack of other details, I was unable to definitively confirm when Campbell did finally succumb to his illness. But, I think it's safe to say that his final breath was NOT taken behind the iron bars of the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville. 

Want MORE West Virginia State Penitentiary articles? CLICK HERE!

The Daily Telegram
Clarksburg, WV
22 May 1908

 

Joe Taylor's Death at the WV State Penitentiary

Cell Block at WV State Penitentiary, ca 1912
Source: WV History on View

The West Virginia State Penitentiary is one of the most haunted locations in the Mountain State, if the not the country. With a VERY long history of violence, including deaths from illness, suicide, murder, and execution, it's no wonder why many of the prison's former inmates are still sticking around...

There are plenty of ghost stories out there attached to the West Virginia State Penitentiary, and I've covered many of them here on Theresa's Haunted History. However, as part of my dedication to fully covering as much HISTORY as possible on these awesome spooky locations, every once in awhile, I like to share the non-paranormal stuff as well. I like to share the every day atmosphere of what it was like to live and work in these locations. I like to share interesting, and somewhat funny tales. And, I like to share the stories of those who called these places home...their lives and their deaths.

Today, I'll be sharing the story of Joseph 'Joe' Taylor, a middle-aged man from Putnam County who was a known dealer of illegal whiskey, an arsonist, and an all around bad dude. Despite being known in his hometown as a dangerous and hardened man, prison life proved just too much for Joe.

According to the (Point Pleasant) Weekly Register, Joe's legal woes go back to at least 1896, although I'm guessing he was already known to local law enforcement well before then. But, in November of that year, Joe had been on the lam. Not long before, he had been arrested for moonshining and taken to the Cabell County Jail, where he promptly escaped the next day. Joe had a change of heart, though and wrote a letter to Deputy Marshal D.W. Frampton, saying he wanted to surrender. 

Local papers didn't record whether or not Joe served any time for that infraction, or any other time before finally REALLY crossing the line in May of 1905.

Joe was still heavily involved in his bootleg whiskey business and living in Putnam County, WV. But, he had beef with another local family. William Larck/Lark/Larick and his wife, Alice lived about 4 miles from Winfield and were staunch members of the temperance movement. Early in May 1905, a member of the Larck family swore out a warrant for Joe Taylor for the illegal sale of whiskey. Deputy Sheriff C.A. Howell went to arrest Joe, but didn't actually take him into custody that evening, as Joe promised to appear before court on his own. Instead of showing up for court, however, several days later Joe showed up at the Larck family home.

In the early hours of May 25th, around 2am, seven shots were fired into the Larck home, where William and Alice lived with their 3-5 children (the number varies according to article). After the seven shots were fired into the home, an incendiary device was launched into the home, setting it ablaze. The family fled the burning home only to meet MORE gunfire. Mrs. Larck (one report says Mr. Larck, instead) was shot in the foot as she fled. Nearby neighbors, seeing the fire, started to arrive to help, and some of them swore they saw Joe running from the scene.

Joe couldn't be found, so bloodhounds were brought in, and the next morning he was found hiding in the loft/garrette of his own home. He was taken into custody, but talk of a lynching led authorities to take him to the jail in Charleston for his own safety. 

When Joe's trial finally concluded in August, it didn't end in Joe's favor. During the course of the trial, it came out that Joe had tried to bribe anyone and everyone he could. He tried to bribe Detective H.C. Smith to let him escape while held in Charleston. He tried to bribe Detective T.G. Cochran with $3000 to let him escape during his transport back to Winfield for trial. He also tried to bribe two 'friends,' Vess Burdette and Jerry Keen to say that they were with him on the night of May 24th. Vess and Jerry actually did show up to court to testify (they were promised $1000 each) but they got scared and left when they saw how upset everyone was over the attempted assassination of the Larck family and the act of arson that left them with their home completely destroyed.

Two people who DID testify on Joe's behalf were his aunt and his mother, who both claimed that he was home all night with them in the house they shared. As an added historical bonus, I did find a Taylor family living in the area on the 1880 census. 12 year old Joseph Taylor was living with his 80 year old grandmother, Frances Taylor, and her two daughters, Jennette and Leelie. It doesn't mention who Joseph's mother is, but I find it interesting they all have the same last name. It does sound like Joseph was borne to an unwed mother, who raised him with the help of his grandmother and aunt.

Anyway, their testimony did little to save him. After only 10 minutes of deliberation, the jury found him guilty on the charges of arson and attempted murder. Judge E.S. Doolittle sentenced him to a life sentence of hard labor at the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville. 

For awhile, it seemed like Joe had come to terms with his plight. He had a job with the Joseph Klees & Sons Pants Factory, who contracted out prison labor for the price of 62 cents per inmate per day. It was said Joe was a hard-worker, but that he was difficult to get along with. Still, he was in good health and otherwise seemed as okay as one who was to spend the rest of his life in prison could be.

Until the night of February 11th, 1906.

At 2 am (there's a pattern here) Guard Maysfield was making his usual rounds throughout the cell block and found the approximately 36 year old Joe dead in his cell. Joe had taken his muffler, tied one end around his neck and the other to some wires in the ceiling, and lifted his feet up until he lost consciousness. Taylor had only been there 6-7 months. His family was notified of the death, but as of the last newspaper article available, no one had come forth to claim his body and he was presumably buried in the prison's cemetery. 

Thus ended the tragic tale of Joe Taylor. He was just one of many men who found themselves in a similar mental state of not being able to cope with the looming idea of a life in the WV State Pen. 

*Want MORE WV Penitentiary stories from Theresa? WV State Penitentiary Page*

Sources:

1880 US Census (Family Search)

The Weekly Register. 18 November 1896

The Fairmont West Virginian. 26 May 1905

The Weekly Register. 31 May 1905

Hinton Daily News. 21 August 1905

The Fairmont West Virginian. 21 August 1905

The Independent Herald. 15 February 1906

The Fairmont West Virginian. 30 April 1909

The Weekly Register. 23 August 1905

'Crazy on Religion'

Weston State Hospital, 1892
Source: WV History on View

In my last blog, I brought up a list of reasons why one may have been admitted to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in the 1800s. While 'superstition' was the focus of the story of Mrs. Callahan, today's tale is inspired by another 'condition' listed: Religious Excitement.

According to the 21 April 1892 edition of The Buckeye (a newspaper from Troy, Ohio), Miss Rose Hardy was the engaged daughter of a wealthy and well-respected citizen near Parkersburg, West Virginia. Some time before her wedding, however, Miss Hardy attended a series of religious meetings, that for whatever reason, left her 'insane.' 

She went missing from her home, and after a few days, was found in the woods, suffering from exposure. After being formally adjudged insane by the court, she was admitted to the Weston Asylum, also known as the Weston State Hospital or Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. 

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any further information on Miss Rose Hardy. However, I hope that she was able to overcome her condition, and go on to happily marry and live a full life outside of the asylum walls. It does make ya wonder, though...what exactly broke in her mind to cause this condition, and what exactly was going on at these religious meetings that would lead to a young woman losing her mind??

*I've got a few more upcoming blogs about the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, many that will focus on the alleged ghosts who haunt this fascinating and spooky old building. Until then, check out my page, TALA TALES, for many more blogs on this topic!*

Chasing Ghosts at the St. Albans History and Mystery Tour 2019!

C&O Depot

I was pretty bummed about not being able to attend the WV CASE Paranormal Expo this year...but since I was in (my) town for the weekend, I decided to go and do something fun and spooky, anyway.  So, I went to the St. Albans History and Mystery Tour, hosted by the St. Albans Historical Society!

Adult tickets were $10 each, and while they were sold at the door, we ordered ours in advance through EventBrite, just so we'd have them ready!  We checked in, ran into some old friends, and got ready to tour through the city of St. Albans, WV to hear its history...and maybe a few ghost stories to go with it.  The way the tour was set up was similar to what Ironton, OH does with its cemetery ghost walk, although on a much grander scale.  Upon checking in, you're given a sheet of paper with the addresses and a brief description of each spot on the tour.  A presentation was given at each spot every 15 minutes starting at 5 pm and running until 8:45 pm.  It was up to you go at your own pace and either walk or drive to each destination.  

Since we got there before 5 pm, we had PLENTY of time to get through each stop without feeling rushed, which I could really appreciate it.  In theory, I love the idea of running it this way, but we found out along the way that presentations didn't always start on their given times.  This led to a few times where I think we missed some information.  But, since we had plenty of time, we could stay through another presentation and there were even a couple of stops that we just revisited completely at the end of the evening. 

Overall, I had an excellent time!  I know a little about the basic history of St. Albans, so it was cool to hear some additional stories told through re-enactors portraying historical figures from the area's past.  Here are the locations featured on this tour, and a little about each one!

1. St. Albans Historical Society--At this stop we saw an awesome lil' skit about who exactly were the first settlers and who technically 'founded' the city known today as St. Albans.  It was really cute, and the re-enactors did a wonderful job.  There was also cider and snacks available for FREE at this location!

Lantz Lumber

2. C&O Depot--Right next door to the Historical Society building is the old C&O Depot where we learned a little about the railway industry in St. Albans, and Collis P. Huntington's role in its development.  This is also where we heard our first spooky ghost story.  Years ago when the station was in operation, a passenger missed his train and had to sleep overnight at the station.  He awoke sometime later with the sounds of what he assumed was a train coming...not just through the station, but THROUGH the building at him!  He then heard the sounds of people talking, and hustling about, almost as if he was witnessing the phantom procession of passengers disembarking through a big-city depot.

3. Lantz Lumber Company--At the Lantz Lumber Company, we met the Weimer family and learned of their role in the lumber industry and in St. Albans' overall history.  We had another spooky tale as we learned that footsteps could be heard in this large, brick building used for storage---but when investigated, no REAL footsteps can be found in the dust.

4. Johnson/Smith House--The Johnson/Smith House was one of my favorite stops on the tour.  We got to go inside this beautiful, early 20th century home to 'have tea' with Mrs. Johnson and other local society women.  Mrs. Johnson would tell us about herself, stopping only to listen in to the 'gossip' of the society ladies, who had their own spin on these stories.  The house was beautifully decorated, both inside and out, for Halloween and refreshments were available.

Johnson/Smith House

5. Flowers on Olde Main--This gorgeous flower shop has been in business for 50+ years, but the building in which its located has an absolutely wild history.  Here we met African-American architect, John C. Norman, who told us how he built the building. Upstairs was used a one of the few pool halls that allowed African-Americans, and during Prohibition, the building was home to a speakeasy, complete with 'hidden' elevator that ran bootleg whisky up from the lower floors.  The ladies who worked and lived in the building were present to share their experiences with hearing phantom footsteps on the main floor of the shop when no one else is around.

6. Angela's On the River--Now a popular restaurant, this former home to the Chilton family was almost razed when the Loop was being built in St. Albans.  Luckily, the pre-Civil War era home was saved, moved a short distance away.  Although the flyer for the tour states that we'd be hearing about 'the spooky things that have happened here,' when asked, we only received a short quip about a demon in a mirror.  Luckily, I found someone who had a little more information to give on that story....so look for THAT in another blog!

7. Bangor Cemetery--I have driven by this cemetery hundreds of times and never once noticed it.  It is a small burial ground dating back to the early 1800s and unfortunately many of the tombstones have been knocked over.  It's a neat little location with ties to George Washington's family and I hope to see a group come in one day and help restore the damaged stones.  As a further interesting side note...this cemetery does contain a 'slave section.'  But, apparently the slave section of the cemetery has houses built over it now!  I wonder if any of those homes are experiencing paranormal activity?

Angela's on the River

8. Morgan's Kitchen--Morgan's Kitchen was another great lil' stop on our tour.  Roasted marshmallows over the fire, live music, and a dedicated re-enactor talking about early pioneer life in the St. Albans area made for an awesome presentation.  At this stop we learned quite a bit about the old Fort Tackett, including a more mysterious side to its history.  The fort had been attacked by natives at one point and continuing YEARS after the event, people living in the area of where the fort once stood would report hearing the residual sounds of that attack, including yelling and whooping, and women screaming.  

I had a really fun time seeing this side of St. Albans under a bright and beautiful (almost) full moon. I thought the re-enactors did a wonderful job telling the history of the town and it was nice to see so many people interested. I would have loved to have a little more of the 'mystery' side thrown in, but I'm a weirdo, lol.  Overall, it was a great night and I'm so glad that we got to experience this tour.  I look forward to future events put on by the historical society, and if I get the chance to attend, I'll be sure to share my experiences with you!  Happy Haunting!

Looking for MORE ghostly goodness from St. Albans?  Check out these articles:

Haunted Hereford House

Fire Under the Bridge

Pink Lady of Shelton College

Flowers on Main

Morgan's Kitchen

Bangor Cemetery

Mingo Man is WV Penitentiary's First Prisoner of 1910

Photo from Find-a-Grave contributor,
Brenda Hatfield

Today marks the 108th anniversary of the day Tilden Browning was taken to the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville. Tilden Browning, a man from Mingo County, WV, has the distinction of being the first new prisoner brought to the penitentiary in 1910. Here is his story, as found in the January 19th, 1910 edition of the Point Pleasant Register, available on the Chronicling America website:

Tilden Browning, a one year man from Mingo county, arrived at the Moundsville penitentiary yesterday morning. Browning has the distinction of being the first convict to arrive at the prison in 1910. The sheriff of Mingo county accompanied the prisoner to the prison where he was at once placed in the hospital.

Browning was to have been brought to the pen during the latter part of 1909 but was given a respite by Gov. Glasscock. When his sentence was finally decided upon, he had contracted a serious illness, and as the penitentiary officials are not accustomed to send guards to such remote counties for one convict, Warden Matthews negotiated with the sheriff, resulting that latter accompanying the man to the prison. Mingo county officials have no accommodation for sick prisoners, and it was deemed necessary to save his life that he be brought to prison hospital. -Wheeling Telegraph.

Tilden Browning's life was indeed saved. After his release from the penitentiary, he went home to Verner, WV. He passed away on October 22, 1953 from what was believed to be gastric complications. He is buried in the Browning Cemetery. 

Death Certificate

Find-a-Grave Memorial

Newspaper Article

I will be returning to the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville later this year, and am busy compiling additional research on one of my favorite historic locations in the Mountain State! Some articles will be strictly historic, while others will definitely highlight the paranormal aspects of this super haunted prison! Keep an eye out for future blogs and a future page set aside solely for Moundsville research! 

Theresa Travels to the Nitro World War One Museum

This weekend, my family and I made an impromptu stop at the nearby Nitro World War 1 Museum, located in downtown Nitro at 2003 20th Street.  While this isn't a location that is haunted (to my knowledge) I wanted to include it in Theresa's Travels as a local historical resource!

With an interest in local history and a rudimentary knowledge of Nitro's important role in the First World War, we knew we would probably enjoy this museum---but nothing could prepare us for how awesome it really turned out to be!

We were warmly greeted by the lady behind the desk, who made sure to load my son up with plenty of FREE goodies, including small plastic soldiers, pencils, stickers, candy and historic literature. Okay, that last one was for me....but speaking of FREE, there was no charge for admission, only donations.

Our time was short, but we were able to spend a good hour browsing the outstanding collection of Nitro history. The main focus of the museum was Nitro's World War 1 years, when the whole town served as the location for a plant making nitrocellulose, the main ingredient in gunpowder. However, the museum, which was much bigger than I could have imagined, also included plenty of displays on Nitro's general history,  general military history, and even a section devoted to what life was like around the outbreak of the War to End All Wars.

In addition to the exhibits, there was a HUGE section of archival documents and research materials. I was in Heaven! One could easily spend hours browsing through all the historical artifacts, photographs, and hands-on (YES! Hands-on!) exhibits, but I could spend years looking through the old books, video clips, and newspaper archives. Even though we had somewhere to be, I couldn't tear myself away from the bound copies of The Kanawha Valley Leader newspaper, spanning several decades.

I thought my 8-year-old son would be kind of bored with a local history museum, but he seemed to have a great time. He was genuinely interested in many of the exhibits, and asked intelligent questions about what he was seeing. And of course, he LOVED the hands-on aspect. I think he and Aaron could have spent all day listening to the old record player set up in the section devoted to WW1 era home life or talking about what conditions were like in a WW1 trench.

I will obviously be returning to this little gem...multiple times...in the future. It makes for a great afternoon adventure, and is extremely family-friendly. However, I will be leaving the boy and the boyfriend at home next time, and camping out in the archive section! If there are any local paranormal investigators/researchers in this area and you are working a case in Nitro or the surrounding area, I HIGHLY recommend that you stop in here.  The staff is knowledgeable and passionate about history, and there are just so many great resources right at your fingertips. Of course, even if you aren't a paranormal researcher and just love history or want to know more about Nitro and its pivotal role in the war, definitely come check this place out! We are so lucky to have such an outstanding, well-organized museum such as this so close to home.

Nitro History Resources
Museum Website
Museum Facebook Page

Forgotten Murder at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

If you follow me on Facebook, you might remember that I did an overnight public investigation at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (known for years as simply the Weston State Hospital) back in January. While I have yet to find any solid evidence produced as a result of our time there, my boyfriend and I had an excellent night of exploring the history-packed location and hearing plenty of interesting stories about its 150+ year existence.

Obviously, there were plenty of tales of violent deaths, mostly resulting in potential hauntings, throughout the building, and I was intrigued. I needed to do some of my own research on these tales to see just how much of what was being told was legend, and how much was support by historical documentation. And, while knee-deep in research for one of the more particularly well-known murders....by complete accident I came across ANOTHER murder that was not mentioned on our tour. As a researcher, I've experienced this before---as have many other researchers, both paranormal and historical. It almost seems like we're meant to come across certain information at certain times, almost as if someone is reaching out, guiding us, wanting their story told.

I've struggled with whether or not I SHOULD tell this story. There are no known hauntings that I know of associated with it, and since it happened in the 1960s, there are still plenty of family members alive and well. However, since weird little coincidences kept popping up (like finding an article about the murder I had printed out lying in the middle of the floor of my office when it hadn't been there when I left or getting a spam email from a woman with the same first name as the victim), I've decided to go ahead and let this story be known, remaining objective and stating only the facts as are available in public record. This post isn't meant to disrespect any party involved, but to bring awareness that mental illness is a serious issue. It can affect anyone at any time and when investigating places such as TALA, we need to remember the human element and make sure to remain respectful and dignified in our research. So here goes...The Murder of Muriel Creamer.

On May 18, 1963, Mrs. Muriel C. Creamer, an African-American housewife from Charles Town, West Virginia, was admitted to the state hospital in Weston. She would never come home. On May 25, she was found deceased in her room on Ward C. It was about 9 pm when psychiatric aide, Wanda Jacqueline Reed, was doing  a routine bed check and found the body of Mrs. Creamer in her bed. Earlier in the day, Mrs. Creamer had been strapped to the bed by hospital attendants, bound at the waist and the feet to prevent her from leaving the bed. She had a piece of muslin cloth about her neck. Her death certificate listed her cause of death as homicide by strangulation, noting that she had been strangled with a bed sheet. She was buried several days later at the Johnsontown Cemetery in Kearneysville.  But who had strangled Muriel?

Some reports say that Muriel's roommate, Wanda Maxine Janes, was either found standing over her body, or at the other side of the room. In any event, when questioned, Ms. Janes freely admitted that she had strangled Muriel Creamer. She claimed that Creamer had "made improper advances" toward her.

Wanda herself had just been admitted to the hospital that day. The 34 year old woman was sent to Weston by the Mental Hygiene Commission of Marion County. Although the doctors who referred her to the state hospital for treatment claimed she was friendly, they also noted that she was irrational, considered herself mistreated by everybody, and suffering from a depression complex and ideas of persecution. Upon arriving at Weston, she was interviewed by Dr. H.S. Chu, where it was noted that she was hostile and argumentative. Her behavior became rather wild and she strongly refused to go to the admission ward. Dr. Chu diagnosed Ms. Janes as a paranoid schizophrenic, and she was sent to a seclusion room on Ward C---a ward where the most violent and uncontrollable women were housed.

Ms. Janes was admitted around 10 am that morning, and spent the better part of the day in the seclusion space. However, the 'seclusion' space wasn't exactly private. Due to overcrowding, two other women shared the space with Janes, so around 8:30 pm she was moved to an adjoining room that she would share with Mrs. Creamer. This room was 20 feet away from the aide's desk, and no signs or sounds of violence or a struggle were ever heard.

An article in the Beckley Post-Herald from June 3rd stated that Wanda Maxine Janes had been charged with murder by the Lewis County prosecutor, William L. Fury. However, I could not find any follow-up as to whether she was actually found guilty and if she was, what the punishment entailed. What IS known, is that after the incident, John Creamer, the executor of Muriel's estate, sued Weston State Hospital for wrongful death. The case was heard by the WV Supreme Court in 1969 and it was found that the hospital was not at fault, as they could not have possibly known that Mrs. Janes was violent and/or homicidal.  At some point, Wanda Maxine Janes was released from treatment. She passed away in 1999. She had served with the US Air Force during the Korean Conflict, and thus, was buried with military honors at the WV National Cemetery in Grafton.

*Haunt Note*

Although there are no ghost stories or hauntings that I know of associated with this particular incident, Ward C on the third floor is still considered a pretty active location! As stated earlier, this was where some of the more uncontrollable female patients were housed and it is said that staff often had to walk down the hall back to back to prevent a patient from coming up behind them and either attacking or trying to sneak off with their keys. Male visitors are encouraged to hang their keys off their belt loop when walking down the hall---many have felt the tug of someone trying to pull the keys off the loop. Others have heard screams, cries and women's voices throughout the ward.

Sources:  Beckley Post-Herald (Wednesday May 29, 1963, pg. 1)
              Beckley Post-Herald (Monday June 3, 1963, pg. 11)
              State of WV Report of the Court of Claims 1969-1971 Volume 8

A Lynching in Weston

Good Saturday morning! Today is an exciting day---this evening I'll be taking part in a public investigation at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia! I've been to the pre-Civil War era hospital several times and taken several historic tours, but this will be the first time actually investigating the iconic haunt. And, since there has already been SO MUCH written about the hauntings (much of which I will include in a post-investigation wrap-up blog) I thought it would be interesting to take a slightly different look for today's blog.

If you follow Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State's Facebook page, chances are you've seen this photo before. One evening last February, I was on the WV History on View site and found this photo. I saw the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in the background, which piqued my interest, but then I saw what was happening in the photo. This photo was taken in July of 1892 by M.T. Smith who later sold the prints for 35 cents a piece. The image is that of the July 6th lynching of Edgar Jones, a 22 year old African-American who was accused of stabbing to death 25 year old Michael Tierney in the kitchen of the Commercial Hotel. The bridge is the West Second Street Bridge.

According to an article in the Shepherdstown Register, on the night of July 4th, 1892, Jones had been working at the Commercial Hotel as a porter when he went on a 'spree.' The paper doesn't clarify what sort of spree this was, only that Michael Tierney, as the proprietor of the hotel, attempted to kick him out. Jones then stabbed Tierney in the heart, killing him almost instantly. Jones was taken into custody, and placed in the county jail. (Shepherdstown Register: 8 July 1892)

Before he could even be locked away, there was talk of a lynching, but a local clergyman, Father Tracy, stayed with Jones, preventing such an event until the early hours of July 6th. Around 2am that morning, Father Tracy could no longer stave off the unruly mob, intent on lynching Jones. A gang of around 25 masked men broke down the door, and dragged Jones off to the nearby bridge over the West Fork River. The rope was secured around his neck on one end, and around the bridge at the other. Within five minutes of him being taken from the jail, the order was to push. Edgar Jones was hanged at approximately 2:05am. His body was then shot at, and riddled with at least two dozen bullet holes. By 3am, the angry mob had dispersed and the town grew quiet. Friends of Tierney, who refused to bury his body until 'justice was done,' made plans to transport him to Sand Fork at 5am.

We, especially those of us in the paranormal community, tend to think about all the tragedy that occurred at Trans-Allegheny itself---it never crossed my mind that something else so traumatic happened right there in plain view of the hospital. Sometimes history can be ugly---real ugly---but if we ignore it, then we ignore the memory of those involved.

Source: Images of Lewis County by Joy Gilchrist-Stalnaker and Bradley R. Oldaker

Newspaper article below from The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer: 6 July 1892

Historic Research--Fallen Officers

National Law Enforcement Memorial, Washington D.C.

Last week on my Facebook page, I shared an urban legend from Erlanger, Kentucky. The legend states that a police officer who was hit and killed by another vehicle during a traffic stop likes to haunt an area known as Narrows Road, even going as far as pulling over drivers in his 1950s era patrol car.

This isn't the only haunting or urban legend that involves the death of a police officer, killed in the line of duty and unfortunately, like many of those stories, I couldn't actually find any documentation to prove that a policeman WAS in fact killed.  However, it did highlight the need and importance of research in regards to backing up or completely disproving these types of stories.  But where can one find information on this subject?

Many individual states, counties and towns have their own memorials to police officers killed in the line of duty, and these physical monuments can usually be found, with the names and death dates engraved on them, at the police headquarters or county courthouse. Often, an index of names found on the memorials will be listed online, often with accompanying biographical data and photographs.  One of the best sites I've found that is easily searchable and contains data for every state in the country is the Officer Down Memorial Page.  I've linked to this site below, as well as a few other sites of interest to researchers in the tri-state area. If more information is needed, a name and date of death makes doing further research, especially looking up newspaper articles, that much easier.

*May 15th is Police Officers Memorial Day*

Countrywide Databases
Officer Down Memorial Page---A countrywide listing of fallen officers, searchable by state, officer name, year, etc. Many of the links below actually refer to this site, so this might be the best place to start.

Animal Control Officer Deaths---Not a ton of information on this site, and its not easily searchable, but some interesting data on animal control officers, sheriffs, and firefighters killed in the line of duty in regards to animal cases. 

Kentucky
Kentucky State Police Fallen Trooper Memorial---great photos and biographical information on Kentucky state troopers who were killed in the line of duty.

Ashland, KY Officer Memorial---Brief information on Ashland, Ky officers killed while serving. 

Lexington, KY Fallen Heroes---Lexington police officer deaths up until 1967.

West Virginia
WV Law Enforcement Memorial---located at the state capitol in Charleston, the monument lists the names of fallen police officers throughout West Virginia. Names, date of death, and department can be found at the website. 

WV State Police Hall of Honor---Names and pictures of state troopers who were killed in the line of duty.

Huntington, WV Police Department Memorial---A list of officers with the Huntington PD who died in the line of duty, with information on the deaths.

Charleston, WV Police Department Memorial---A list of officers with the Charleston PD who died in the line of duty. Some photos and brief biographical information.

Ohio
Ohio's Highway Patrol---Officers and support staff with Ohio's Highway Patrol who were killed on duty. Includes photographs and short bios.

Gallipolis, Ohio Police Memorial---only one name listed thus far, but excellent information.

Minnesota Exorcism Church

You might have seen this image before.  It's a favorite on Pinterest as well as on many different Facebook pages.  A creepy, dilapidated church out in the middle of nowhere just HAS to have a suitably creepy back story, and this seems to do the trick.  Furthermore...unlike many of these images with accompanying outrageous text, this story sounds like it COULD be true.

It's no secret that throughout history, not much was known about mental illness. A favorite scapegoat was obviously that people suffering from such things as schizophrenia and other mental illnesses were, in fact, under demonic possession. And, its no secret that historically, the treatment for the mentally ill were sometimes worse than just living with the affliction itself! Many families, for a variety of reason, chose to keep mentally ill loved ones out of asylums.  However, if they were a risk to themselves or others, they sometimes had to be restrained or locked away.  Sometimes they were simply locked away from the outside world out of shame and embarrassment. In any event, its not too far of a stretch to believe that mentally ill persons who were assumed to have been possessed by demons would fail to be 'cured' from an exorcism, and thus locked away for safety's sake. I don't necessarily think it happened at this church, though...

From the Church's FB page

After an attempt to verify the information presented in this graphic, I learned that the church in question wasn't even IN Minnesota. This church is actually the Estonian Ev. Martin Luther in Lincoln County, Wisconsin! It was built in 1914 as the first Estonian church in the United States. The actual congregation dates back to 1897, however and by 1903 there were enough members to start looking to move church services from private homes into a new church.  Money for the project began to be collected in 1907, and the graveyard (which would only ever hold about 14 people) was established in 1909.

The church wouldn't be used all that much.  By the 1950s, the small Estonian population was moving into the cities, and 1964 marked a 50 year reunion celebration that effectively ended regular church services as the small church in the woods.  In 2011, the current owner, Bill Rebane, claimed that a group of about 20 still worshiped at the site, weather permitting, yet the small building was in an obvious state of disrepair.

However, recent posts to the church's Facebook page show that care is being taken not only to preserve the church, but to restore it to its former glory!  There Facebook page, along with a blog called Shunpiking to Heaven, have some awesome photos and history---just no mention of any failed exorcisms on the site!  Please check them out for more information.

Church Facebook Page

Shunpiking to Heavens Backroads Blog

FREE Online Research--Newspaper Research

Photo by ShironekoEuro

As a paranormal researcher and the Historic Research Manager for Huntington Paranormal Investigations and Research, I have discovered that one of the absolute best sources of information comes in the form of newspaper archives! I have spent countless hours hunched over the microfiche machines at the Cabell County Public Library, looking up obituaries, news coverage of disasters, and other articles of interest. Even advertisements can offer useful information about daily life. Many times I'll be looking for one thing, and stumble upon an article or photograph pertaining to another local haunting or interesting story!

I'm lucky that I live relatively close to the library and can usually find the time to visit a few times a month, since these archives are not yet digitally available off-site. But what if you're NOT able to visit these archives regularly...or are researching a topic or location from another area? If the internet is your only option for research, there are some pretty awesome newspaper archive services out there...but they come at a fairly hefty price, usually available through monthly, 3-month, 6-month and yearly subscriptions. However, if this is a service you find yourself using often, it might be well worth it---saving on travel expenses and the ability to research topics at your leisure and from your own computer (and printer) are excellent reasons to consider a subscription service.  Most also offer a free 30 day free trial---so you can do some major research on a variety of topics all at once and then cancel! Newspapers.com is my personal favorite and is running a reduced price on yearly subscriptions this month.

The options above are great and all, but here at Theresa's Haunted History, I'm always looking for resources that are completely FREE! Below I've compiled a short list of free online newspaper resources that I have personally used in my own research. Do you know of any other FREE newspaper resources, especially those pertaining to the tri-state area of West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky?  If so, please join me over on Facebook and let us know!


Free Online Newspaper Archives

Chronicling America: The Library of Congress has digitized a great number of newspapers from across the country.  While obviously not ALL newspapers are represented, there are plenty of examples from West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.  Unfortunately, the archive only dates between 1836 and 1922. Still, there is some great information to be found, and the search options are very user-friendly.  Just doing a little exploring, I found some interesting articles about both the WV State Penitentiary at Moundsville and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.

GenDisasters: GenDisasters is a collection of newspaper articles about different disasters transcribed by volunteers from across the country.  By searching by state, disaster, year or even keyword, you'll gain access to different tragedies such as fires, explosions, train derailments, etc.  I have been a volunteer transcriber for several years now and have added a number of Huntington, WV area articles.

Google News Archive: I have mixed feelings about the Google News archives.  There are different ways of maximizing your search results using this feature, but quite honestly, I've found that the easiest thing to do is do a regular Google search for whatever you're looking for and see if any newspaper stories are included in the search results. The big problem is, however, is that the newspapers aren't transcribed by a human--they are digitally translated using a software program.  This results in a LOT of mispellings---to the point where its almost impossible to actually read what is being said.  Plus, you generally cannot read from the actual newspaper image itself---just the text box below, which is all running together.  Still, I've had some measure of success and at the very least, have found out critical dates of events so that I can narrow down the search parameters on the microfiche and find out what the local papers have to say.

The Glenville Mercury: Glenville State College in Glenville, WV, which began as a Normal School, has digitized their school newspaper!  Archives go from December 1929 to July 2000 and while the content may be a little more geared to local and college interests, there's some interesting stuff in there if you look hard enough.

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Theresa Travels to the Castle Halloween Museum

Photo by Stephen David Entertainment, via Location Library

(Theresa's Note: This post is from 2014. Castle Halloween is no longer located in Benwood, WV. It has reopened in Altoona, PA. I've updated the contact information and included a recent magazine article and a YouTube playlist. Happy Halloween!) 

2024 Article by Sean Collier in the Pittsburgh Magazine

YouTube Playlist for Castle Halloween

Castle Halloween Museum

Address: 1595 Boggs Run Rd. Benwood, WV (Now at 2028 Broad Ave. Altoona, PA)

Contact: 304-233-1031 (Now 814-940-1031)

Hours: Open by appointment only

Price: $8 admission (Now $15)

Gift Shop/Antique Boutique on-site

Website: www.castlehalloween.com 

Over this past weekend, a very small planned trip north morphed into an unexpected adventure beyond what we ever thought we'd be doing in a whole year, let alone the span of a half a day!  In this first installment of a 3-part blog, join me on the first leg of our journey and how we came to get there in the first place!

Theresa Discovers The Castle Halloween Museum

For the past several years, members of HPIR have promoted our Haunted and Historic Guyandotte Tours at the yearly History Day at the Legislature, held each February at the State Capitol.  It's a day where historical interest groups from all over the state can come together...and its a great resource for finding unique tourism opportunities!  

At least, that's what happened several years ago when I picked up a newsletter being passed out by the West Virginia Association of Museums.  Sitting at our info table, I started reading through the newsletter during a lull in the action and was pleasantly surprised to see an article about a unique museum in our Northern Panhandle devoted entirely to the social history of Halloween.  I filed that information away, with an understanding that one day, I would take the time to make the trip.  For me, Halloween isn't just a one-day event; it's a lifestyle.  

As it is, life got in the way and the museum, while not forgotten, lost priority until my boyfriend came home one day and excitedly asked me if I had ever heard of a Halloween museum near Wheeling.  He then proceeded to show me a video on Youtube he found featuring an in-depth overview of all the wonders the museum has to offer.  We decided unanimously to up the priority level and make sure we crossed this one off our bucket list.  It took almost a year, but I finally got my chance to visit. My friend Carrie and I decided we were going to take a day trip to Moundsville. We took a tour of the Palace of Gold, the WV State Penitentiary, and of course, made a stop at the wonderful Castle Halloween Museum!

Boggs Run School: Undated photo from Marshall Co. GenWeb

Planning The Trip

The Castle Halloween Museum is open by appointment only and you'll need to call a few days in advance---even though the museum is a short drive off US 250, communications are spotty and it might be a day or so before the owners can return your call.  You can reach them through an email form provided on the website, www.castlehalloween.com, or you can call.  The phone number is 304-233-1031 and it totally went over my head until writing this down that last four digits of the phone number are 10/31, as in, October 31st---Halloween!

The museum itself is housed in the old  Boggs Run School, located on Boggs Run Road in Benwood.  A short drive directly off U.S. Route 250, the museum is just a few minutes away from both Wheeling, WV and Moundsville, WV...which, we'll discuss a little later on!  Anyway, Boggs Run, which wasn't incorporated into the town of Benwood until 1944 (and named after James Boggs who settled in the area in the late 1700s) is prone to flooding, so keep that in mind if the rains have been especially heavy.

The Tour

Our tour was scheduled for 9 am Saturday morning and we arrived a few minutes early after our nearly 3 hour drive from Charleston, WV.  Pulling into the parking lot, we were delighted to see the old school building adorned with gargoyles.  We entered through the "cemetery gates" and into the lower level of the building where immediately we were seized with hundreds of vintage boxed costumes, a collection of children's books, and other fun stuff.  We met our tour guide and owner, Pamela Apkarian-Russell, and her delightful husband, Chris, and began the guided portion of the tour.

Pamela is know as the Halloween Queen, and for good reason.  Not only has she amassed and curated a 35,000+ collection of Halloween and related memorabilia, she's also authored an impressive collection of books about Halloween-themed antiques and collectibles, as well as collections of ghost stories and history.

The guided part of the tour lasts around 90 minutes and Pamela is extremely knowledgeable about the history and the social and cultural significance of each piece in the massive collection.  Vintage costumes including Dennison crepe paper examples dating all the way back to the early 20th century,  Halloween-themed Fenton glass, mourning jewelry and other memento mori, board games, pottery, original paintings, folk art, voodoo memorabilia, decorations, advertising...this is just a minuscule example of what is available to see.  Plenty of antiques from early times up through modern vintage definitely evoke a feeling of nostalgia...and exhibits featuring newer examples of pop culture, such as Harry Potter and The Nightmare Before Christmas will interest the younger visitors.   If you're looking for a gory, horrifying house of terror, you're in the wrong place.  However, if you're looking for an excellent slice of America's favorite holiday from a cultural and historical perspective, you'll be in heaven.

Halloween Queen Pamela, and husband Chris.  Courtesy of castlehalloween.com

After the guided portion of the tour, you're free to roam about on your own to take a closer look.  There is so much to see that it is quite overwhelming!  You could spend a month in there and not see everything, which gives us plenty of reason to plan another trip!  We did spend a few minutes taking in some of what we missed the first time around, but found ourselves enjoying plenty of off-topic conversation with our gracious hosts.  We learned that they had moved the museum to WV about ten years ago, after living in New England.  Shoddy construction crews had destroyed the roof, and as a result, a corner of the main exhibit showroom was heavily damaged by rainwater.  We also learned that even though people have come from all over the world to this little corner of West Virginia to visit the Halloween museum, it is not well-received by the locals.  

For that reason, I strongly encourage each and every one of you out there reading this to visit this museum as soon as possible and bring your friends and family along!  This is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in history, or anything even remotely related to Halloween.  It is truly a unique experience and you'll never seen anything quite like it anywhere else.  We need to spread the word!  Make a donation or buy one of Pamela's books, available online if you cannot make the trip.  Certain instances have left a poor impression of West Virginia and her people on this couple, and I'd like to show them that this is NOT representative of all of us, or even the majority of us.  So, please support this awesome destination and help make it an integral part of Northern Panhandle tourism.

Extra Stuff to Consider:

*Are you visiting Moundsville Penitentiary for a tour or ghost hunt?  The Castle Halloween Museum is a very short and easy drive from the prison; it took us seriously only about 5-10 minutes to get there.  If you're coming from out of town, plan out a few extra hours before or after your penitentiary experience to tour the Halloween Museum.  You will NOT be disappointed!

*Bringing children?  Children are welcome on the tour, which can be customized within reason to fit their age level and interests.  However, in my opinion, this is a tour that will be most enjoyed by those ages 10 and up.  

*Mobility issues?  There are some very tight spaces, and a few stairs leading up to the front door and down to the main level of the museum.  However, if you require a wheelchair, please give them a call and let them know the situation.  I believe I read online somewhere that special accommodations can be made.  The good thing is, there really isn't much walking involved.  Still, wear a pair of comfy shoes, and dress seasonably.  Fans were placed liberally throughout the museum, offering a chance to cool down and keep the air moving, but it was still quite hot inside during our visit.

*Photography is allowed and encouraged!

*Bring cash for your $8 admission fee!

In Conclusion

I could spend hours just talking about all the cool things we saw and how much fun we had at West Virginia's best kept little secret.  In fact, our original itinerary was just to visit the museum, maybe walk around downtown Wheeling for a bit, have lunch, and then head back home.  Plans quickly changed after we realized how freaking close we were to Moundsville!  Check back tomorrow for part two of this blog series...and find out what was going on at one of the most haunted locations in the world!